Mike & Jan's Great Escape: THE WEST COAST

Carrying on from our trip up to the dizzy heights in Lesotho we gradually worked our way back down to sea level first of all with a night’s stop in a quaint countryside village called Himeville. You could not think of a more Olde English Village if you tried. We decided again to lodge and stopped in the Himeville Arms, a turn of the century roadside inn just along from the Rose and Quail that does “Cream Scones” amongst other things.

The middle of Olde England

Backdrop around Himeville

This part of South Africa has many country villages and lots of farming but with the backdrop, when we were there. of the snowcapped mountains behind. After a night’s stop it was back on the road to the Indian Ocean and the area north of “The Garden Route” From now on it will be coastal all the way to Cape Town.

Different style churches in all the villages

An old roadside fuel stop

Colourful villages

Our first stop was Coffee Bay, a laid back “hippy” type place that we decided (or rather our Sat Nav showed us) to take a route up and over the mountains. 80 kms of rough track and rocks we came to a large river. Bad news for us was the bridge had been partly washed away in the recent storms. It was either go back or check out the bridge and what I thought was a route to get the car over the destroyed bit and onto what was left of the bridge. Yes the Toyota tackles anything and it usually gets through. Hopefully the film may show this.

Coffee Bay is a tiny hamlet with lots of backpackers and hippy places but most closed at this time as it was out of season. The sea was again really rough and bashing through a rock called “Hole In The Wall”. The campsite was brilliant though with just us there for a couple of nights. A tiny bit of the coastal forest remains right on the beach and this was the camp site.

Coffee Bay

Posing on the rocks

Hole in the Wall

Coffee Bay from above

Locals at Coffee Bay

After Coffee Bay we kept heading south on the “Garden Route with stops at Knysna, a really lovely tourist town with superb seafood restaurants and bars. Sadly much of the surrounding forest and some villas and other property were destroyed in major wild fires some months ago. Sadly it also took several lives and the destruction is still visible.

Knysna Waterfront

We must be from somewhere on here

The Garden Route is a beautiful drive down the east coast but in general the weather was cool to cold and very windy. Not good news for us but good for the locals was the rain we had many times. It is badly needed as is a serious drought conditions in the area with harsh water restrictions.

Even the houses are colourful

Roadside flowers

A trip down the Garden Route involves popping into Addo Elephant park

Colourful sunbird singing

The next stop for us was “The Southernmost Point in Africa” at Cape Agulhas. This is not, as most people would believe Cape of Good Hope. Rough seas around the Point and Lighthouse are the norm here.

At the southern most point of our journey, It is all north from now on

About to get wet

It was freezing

One of the car at the southern point on the road

Cape Agulhas Lighthouse

We have been in the highest pub so why not the most southern one as well

Rough seas meant surfers in action

Hermanus came next and what an amazing place. The first thing we did was go to book a boat trip to go whale watching. We were told that no boats have been out all week and there were big queues to book the first boat out. The seas looked rough and we were told to come back the next morning at 6.30am. OK we thought if we have to. Next stop was to call into Hermanus itself and get lunch. The spot we found on a small cliff over the old harbour was perfect. We sat and watched over a glass of wine and lunch lots of Southern Right Whales below us just 50 metres off shore. Some were mothers and calves, some breaching and lot spyhopping (sitting vertically in the water with the head out) watching us and tail sailing (Vertically in the water with the tail out no idea why). You did not need a boat as these were so close you could almost reach out and touch them. If you want to see whales just sit and enjoy a glass at Hermanus.

Whale watchers in action on the cliffs

Southern Right Whale

Good to get a synchronised pair in action

A drive round the coast road after Hermanus brought us to Cape Town, the nominal point of our trip where instead of going away fro Ndola and UK is is turn round and every kilometre brings you closer

We have already said about the amazingly colourful Cape Town in a previous Blog so wont say too much except that the weather was cold.